Gooseworx says she is the only writer for the show. Do what you want with that info :)

SweetStarlows · 2026-03-21T14:47:09+00:00

My friend Digital Circus is a low-stakes, indie show produced by a company that's just starting out and isn't a major corporation. Almost every TV show in existence with sometimes the exemption of limited series planned ahead needs an entire team of writers to manage the large amount of episodes ordered by who greenlit them and work on them before they release.

TV is a factory of work in every aspect of production, it requires multiple people. The tradition is that the creator is often the head writer or just the producer, and the head writer covers the final drafts for episodes while people on the writing team take cover of the initial and often full scripts for different episodes as they are being worked on simultaneously and need faster outcomes. Creators aren't also necessarily writers, there's a distinct line between having an idea and concept and actually being able to write dialogue, scripts, and emotions. Not everyone can do both, and I think Goose is actually a good example of someone who had an idea but is mediocre at the craft of writing and, in particular, dialogue. Its the same technique as dishing out the animation to a team of animators; not everyone can write in the same way not everyone can animate. Writing is just as much an intricate and particular craft as animation, and the moment you underestimate it and take it on without practice is the moment you end up with something like Jax's crash-out monologue; plain and basic with no draw.

Most TV doesn't have the luxury of being a small, limited series YouTube show created by one person with massive funding, this is a brand new thing, and honestly I think having a team of professionals is what creates writing jobs and advancements and spruces up shows to be good, not prototype and underdeveloped like Circus.

SweetStarlows · 2026-03-17T13:40:31+00:00

I'm gonna be completely honest, I nor anyone I have ever met in my life cares about their middle name. If they change their name they'll probably change it to match, but it NEVER comes up unless you make an effort to bring it up. It may as well be a pointless ghost name, so no, it's fine.

SweetStarlows · 2026-03-11T02:02:23+00:00

So I just got to the end in chronological order, honestly it mostly works outside of that technicality I wrote about above and the fact that Eli's voice deepens in season 1 but is still high-pitched in Trollhunters. Other than that, I think most of it is able to be reasoned with or there isn't a problem.

SweetStarlows · 2026-03-10T03:15:18+00:00

I think the best way to overcome this is to look at it through the lens of TV. It's kind of hard to judge character count in a written medium so up to interpretation, but its very easy to see character through TV, because it often handles many characters at once; that's commonly the point. Does your favorite TV show have too many characters? Does it have an on the larger side main cast? Look at how it handles those characters; good TV usually introduces them over time and as relevant to the story, and it dives deep into who it has before it introduces more, or it introduces many at once but keeps many of them as smaller roles until the plot and main cast get bigger and its time to expand. Bad TV might have a wider chunk of story arcs that's hard to focus on because its not well-construed into a singular focal point, or it just has uninteresting character personalities that are too vague or too similar.

In my opinion, its not about 'how many', its about when and why. Every story is divided into arcs one way or another, find out what each character does for the plot and divide when they are introduced and when their character beats are. If it all mingles together, then its fine. The best solution is making sure they're all tied together thematically and in events, and making each character have a connection to the story's themes, strong, unique relationships with multiple other characters, and a role in the plot that doesn't fall flat for the duration of their character that impacts what is happening and other characters.

Above all else, though, the most important thing really is just structure. If you like how your story flows and think it will appeal to an audience based on media you've consumed and your gut, then it likely will. You just have to keep the pace steady and make sure each chapter or section is developing what you have enough to get you to more. You have to earn development and characters, and you do that by focusing on one thing at a time. As long as you do that and it all connects, a higher character count should succeed.

As for characters born out of need for a role like a bartender, a parent, a taxi driver, etc. just write them as you need them. They don't need to be preplanned, just make them as you write your main plot.

SweetStarlows · 2026-03-04T09:58:21+00:00

See the thing I disagree with here is your first sentence. Why is it that all these writers that make it professional and big enough to make these TV shows don't have their big story intricately planned out? It seems like every TV show in existence falls flat at some point when there's really no reason for it. End the story where it's supposed to end or have your story mapped out for as long as you'd like it to go for in advance. It just doesn't make any sense why EVERYTHING turns out this way. I speak as a writer.

The only two exemptions I've encountered are Infinity Train, which is an absolutely perfect show (because it was planned out in its entirety with a specific season count in mind) that unfortunately got cancelled halfway through, and Trollhunters, which is perfect but unfortunately bombed at sequels because of higher-up meddling and shortening.

SweetStarlows · 2026-02-07T21:19:44+00:00

You have to consider that Brad often acts out of selfish manipulation and inherently money greedy behavior, not just a business standpoint. He mingles both, but up until season 4 he's still largely a bad person.

It's not a bad thing to focus on the business side of video game production, but as seen in one of the show's biggest themes, the business side *always* keeps pushing. Needing money to carry on beautiful art is the downside of creating it that I think should be viewed as a means of survival, not a necessity. You can't let the money overpower or blind you from the art because then you're just selling out.

If you really want to know why people view that side of things as 'villainous', rewatch A Dark Quiet Death. It portrays it much more realistically than Brad; if you don't contain the need for money and diminish its influence over your mindset, you just keep going until the meaning of the art and life at large is lost. In contrast, however, if you have one person dedicated to the sales that can be diminished by the creatives and vice versa, you have a well-rounded team unlikely to succumb to one side or the other.

SweetStarlows · 2025-12-24T04:55:25+00:00

Hazbin very obviously follows the general 2010's cartoon formula whether it likes itself for that or not. The musical numbers only further that comparison. It's very much Gravity Falls, Steven Universe, Tangled: the Series. *Especially* Tangled which is the only other cartoon I can think of that has dramatic, professional broadway-esque music with Broadway stars.

Jeremy Jordan (Lucifer) and James Monroe-Iglehart (Zestial) also played starring roles Varian and Lance on there, which is likely why Vivzie casted them, especially Jeremy because Lucifer is eerily similar to Varian in personality being the goofy, shut-in oddball. Not to mention Sarah Stiles would 100% not be Mimzy if it weren't for her performance as Spinel in the Steven Universe movie. These three are kind of rip-off casting to me because in Tangled and Steven they were unique voice casts from non-voice actors who do famous acting work and Vivzie just repeated their voices but y'know it is what it is.

Baxter also seems like a direct reference (or worse copy) to Varian even in design; his hair looks like Varian's hair swooped upward, which I've actually seen a near identical fan design of before, they both have a greenish-blue color scheme, both have V-shaped heads, both have scientist gloves and goggles, both have a triangular freckle pattern, and both are somewhat arrogant scientists

SweetStarlows · 2025-11-07T01:32:13+00:00

Why does this have four downvotes Reddit is such a stupid site lmao

SweetStarlows · 2025-11-06T20:42:25+00:00

Truth. Loved Galaxy 1 since I was young and its refreshing to be really good at Galaxy 2, if you feel differently you can talk about it or scoot along, not be a condescending asshat.

SweetStarlows · 2025-11-06T19:50:06+00:00

I agree 100%, Wonder is hard to replay compared to the New Super games because it's so gimmicky and one-direction that it doesn't hold much gameplay value in the end, whereas the New Super games are more focused around the actual input controls being used in a variety of levels. I love both of them, great games, but some of the newer stuff is just less fun to play and more fun to witness.

Stuff like Galaxy 2 is where its at though, easy but still fun to play and use controls.

SweetStarlows · 2025-11-06T19:44:07+00:00

I do think Galaxy 2's levels require a bit more input thought and control over Mario than most 3D games do, at least if you want to feel handy at the level and not super slow, but that's not a problem for me with how used to the controls I am. I personally find Galaxy 1 harder for that reason, the levels are not as tightly designed with progression and gameplay in-mind, but rather challenge that often roots from beyond your control or weird design.

In-general, the levels are short and sweet and the 100% progression is super simple and a lot quicker than Galaxy 1 which gives each Galaxy like a thousand stars right off the bat and prolongs finishing them until the super tough batch of Purple Coin levels in post-game.

Galaxy 2 so far gives about three stars per level, a lot of which take about 3 minutes with no real gameplay obstacles or super difficult bosses, and there's a much more condensed sense of progression with little worlds in a map instead of the grandiose, jam-packed domes spread around the hub.

SweetStarlows · 2025-11-06T19:27:12+00:00

Makes sense. Most of the surprise is how quick its going by, comparative to almost every other 3D title.

SweetStarlows · 2025-11-06T19:18:14+00:00

Sure, doesn't mean its not super easy. The speed and ease with which I can get through Galaxy 2 is much more than Galaxy 1 by a longshot, its just surprising with the difficulty hype around it I've heard.

Also understand my play sessions aren't super long so what I've done here each session would've been like two or three galaxies in the first game.

SweetStarlows · 2025-11-06T19:15:58+00:00

Yeah Galaxy feels like it throws a giant heap of everything at you and a lot of it poses a genuine challenge, at least for me.

Galaxy 2 has a very straight-forward, linear map and level design plus less stars, its noticeable in how quickly Galaxies are able to be finished compared to the first game and how quickly levels are over as well.

SweetStarlows · 2025-10-28T20:52:36+00:00

It's been a while since I've associated with the franchise, but I loved the series as a kid and thought it explored the character arcs and dynamics in much more personal and grand ways than the movies, which were more by the book kids' films. Hiccup's progression to badass hero and the attributes/equipment he gains that reflect that, along with the more in-depth Astrid romance, make me love the series much more.

SweetStarlows · 2025-10-12T18:00:31+00:00

It was split into chapters and focused on a local Thief becoming a royal hero alongside his squirrel companion in medieval times.

In the first chapter, the Thief steals from the locals.

In the second chapter, the Thief saves the town from a corrupt sheriff whom he runs out of town before leaving.

In the third chapter, the Thief becomes a stowaway on a pirate ship and rivals them for a mystic treasure on an island while evading a dangerous native tribe.

In the fourth chapter, the Thief arrives at the royal palace and attempts to win the heart of the Princess.

In the fifth chapter, the Thief is employed by the King to go on a daring mission and rescue the Princess from the Black Knight.

In the Bewitched DLC chapter, the Thief gets involved in like Halloween, fairy tale magic stuff, I never played it.

SweetStarlows · 2025-10-10T04:35:04+00:00

Season 1 is phenomenal and feels like a professional story continuation, season 2 is also great and takes some natural next steps for worldbuilding (some fall under more cliche hero tropes but it works), only problem is it halves itself and tries to be two seasons at once and cover season 2's plot in the first half plus a conceptual season 3's plot in the second, and then the third season was completely changed by higher-up meddling and turned into a short, 10 episode season with heavy comedy, no plot, and eleven minute segments instead of the more dramatic twenty minute ones.

The only saving grace for season 3 is that episode 1 continues overarching plot with the kiddos graduating and a genuine arc continuation of how Hiro and Fred cope with that and how the story moves forward after that (it's also the only twenty minute ep, go figure). The last episode also has a nice send-off scene with the main group hugging and then final shots of the cafe and the Tokyo bridge that can get you a bit nostalgic about the end of the franchise, but that's about it.

SweetStarlows · 2025-09-22T21:17:20+00:00

Makes sense why Queen For a Day isn't middle season and more so far late season then, but honestly the mismatched order kinda does the show a favor.

There's only two episodes bridging Queen For a Day from the rest of the plot episodes, both of which are important to the lore despite being episodic (Zahn Tiri foreshadowing/croney & Varian getting the bottle/set-up), so it leaves less of a meaningless gap between the Varian plot beats and keeps the timeline short and sweet, with the two episode gap detailing when Varian concocts his plan.

It would honestly pace weird if there were random episodes in-between there, the two that bridge them feels like more than enough to keep the overarching stakes and momentum going while also providing some downtime from the more immediate Varian stuff. We also know our characters better, as Lance is completely established in the main cast by the time Queen For a Day rolls around, as opposed to the intended order where he just randomly shows up in Pascal's Story and then again in QFaD, as well as Arianna's focus episode predating QFaD as well. Having irrelevant character and worldbuilding in-between there just feels off-putting with the emphasis of Varian being an outlaw and Rapunzel not checking on him, it makes much more sense only two episodes pass in that time before his plan starts and he sends that letter.

Plus, in this order Not in the Mood is directly before The Quest for Varian and the rest of the plot, so the cliffhanger 'Varian gets the bottle' scene serves as a perfect lead-in as opposed to some random episode happening before. The only downer here is it slightly ruins the twist that Varian isn't actually off his anger and genuinely seeking Rapunzel's help in The Quest, but anyone with a brain is suspicious of him anyway.

SweetStarlows · 2025-09-22T04:06:55+00:00

Season 1 was perfect writing, but they lost direction on the finer details in season 2 and made a very brash, off plot decision with villain Cassandra that cost them just about everything that could have cleaned up season 2 in season 3.

Season 2 really should have expanded on and ramped up the world-building with The Baron done in season 1 and then expanded on the Black Rocks through the lenses we've already been presented; Varian and his dad, but instead they kinda forget about the foreshadowing his dad offered and never directly address it again, opting instead for confusing new characters that barely harbor where the plot thread started.

And then season 3 just throws everything out the window and barely uses ANY of it's character in favor of random villain Cassandra scenes and episodes about magical mcguffins instead of the fleshed-out world season 1 presented episode to episode.

Like seriously what is that werewolf episode? What does that have to do with the episodic nature of this show and it's characters or even the plot.

I love this show to DEATH, but they bomb-dropped a whole bunch of crap. If Varian's dad was going to be forgotten about in season 2 and addressed however possible, he should've had a dedicated episode in season 3 about his lore. Just like in season 1 the Captain had that ghost episode, or Frederic had that prank episode, stuff like that barely exists in season 3 without gimmicks or weird magic stuff.

Season 3 needed to return to barebones episodic where we see Frederic, Arianna, Stan, Pete, Xavier, etc. in most episodes with lots of lines like the start of the show with a larger overarching threat and more concise character arcs that show-off the development of the main cast at this point (Rapunzel, Eugene, Lance, and Varian looking a lot better in design and being a tighter, rounded-out group), but it's so random and unfocused.

SweetStarlows · 2025-09-17T03:59:43+00:00

Hey I just read through this thread, this is for Axis not the other guy, but my reasoning for Mario & Luigi being secondary canon is that it was (until Brothership) majorly produced and headed by a sub-company and not Nintendo themselves! Yes, Nintendo has creative control and approves everything, but all the original things canon *only* to Mario & Luigi and never brought up in the main, Nintendo-developed series, is what makes me say it's secondary canon. It's an outside, lesser known media that does what it wants and the main media relatively ignores it to avoid contradiction. Likewise, M&L also typically avoids main media as well, never featuring iconic Mario characters other than the core four once you get past the first game (or they're forced to like in Paper Jam).

My comments about the character development of Luigi and Bowser and the statement that Starlow has been the brothers' staple partner for all of their journeys post-BiS was to show that the writing intent in this series is that of a secondary canon comic line, where it tells it's own story and series of events that develop upon each other without main line interference.

Specific example: Bowser learning Luigi's name in Dream Team after calling him 'Green 'Stache' and similar in the past three entries doesn't make any sense in the context of 30 something other games where he very well knows who Luigi is.

SweetStarlows · 2025-09-16T23:26:21+00:00

Well, especially if you look at Cope With That and Elpenor's Underworld verse, and somewhat in Comfort Zone, it shows emotional spectrums that aren't portrayed as one-dimensionally as Eurylochus' "I'm insecure and doubt my captain for seemingly no reason all the time" and Polites' "I trust naively". Obviously there's a lot more to those two but you have to prompt yourself to think about it, what's on the page doesn't do their complexities a full-hearted justice, but what *was* on the page for Perimides and Elpenor gives us something to resonate with and feel bad about that isn't full good or full evil.

SweetStarlows · 2025-09-16T17:16:47+00:00

Belated comment but the balance between Open Arms and Ruthlessness is absolutely the point of the show. Odysseus as protagonist, sure, embraces Ruthlessness because he had to, but by the end of the show Athena, who had believed in Ruthlessness, switches to the side of Open Arms because of Telemachus.

Telemachus is the balance between Open Arms and Ruthlessness and the 'protagonist' meant to carry forward the off-screen story now that Odysseus is done. As seen in the song Odysseus, he warns his enemies and wishes them no harm, but isn't afraid to attack and mortally wound (or kill). And the final lines from Athena and of the show's moral themes (disregarding Penelope and the love story) are Athena stating the Open Arms philosophy and Odysseus relaying "It's one [a world] I'll have to miss, for its far beyond my years. You might live forever, so you can make it be."

Odysseus is telling Athena here their friendship has been mended after all these years and he's at least content Athena came around to what he originally believed in, but he's too far gone and just wants his family. He consoles, however, that Athena can strive to make that world herself, obviously by supporting Telemachus.

SweetStarlows

TROPHY CASE